February 2, 2026
Your phone, but make it terminal
Termux
Termux turns your phone into a pocket computer—and sparks a fan war
TLDR: Termux, a command-line app for Android, urges users to update past v0.118.0 and watch out for Android 12’s surprise app-killing. Comments split between hardcore fans turning phones into coding rigs and skeptics asking if full‑Linux phones make Termux outdated, making this a must-watch debate.
Termux is the cult-favorite Android app that turns your phone into a command-line mini computer. The latest build is v0.118.3, with a big PSA: update to v0.118.0+ for a critical fix, and beware Android 12’s habit of killing background tasks—cue surprise quits and “upgrade at your own risk.” The community responded like it always does: loudly. OsamaJaber called it “soooo underrated,” and tetris11 declared it “the only true way to experience Emacs on Android,” lighting up the editor meme wars.
Power users flexed hard. kjuulh bragged about hopping from phone to workstation with a private connection, keeping sessions alive, and basically coding anywhere—yes, from the couch. dharmatech dropped a YouTube demo of a Python app running inside Termux, which commenters treated like a magic trick. Meanwhile, the devs are openly asking for maintainers, adding a touch of open‑source soap opera to the feed.
Then came the spicy question: mg asked if Termux is still needed now that some phones run full Linux. Fans fired back that Termux is lighter, safer (no rooting), and perfect for quick fixes; skeptics say the future is real desktop‑on‑phone. Sprinkle in F‑Droid update delays and signature mix‑ups, and you’ve got peak nerd drama. Oh, and yes—there’s a subreddit r/androidterminal where the hype never sleeps.
Key Points
- •Termux is an Android terminal and Linux environment; this repository covers the app UI and terminal emulation.
- •Users are advised to update to v0.118.0 or higher (latest v0.118.3) due to bug fixes, including a critical world-readable vulnerability.
- •Android 12+ may kill phantom or high-CPU processes, causing unexpected terminations; mitigations are referenced and options exist in Android 12L/13.
- •Termux supports Android 7+ fully; support for Android 5/6 was dropped at v0.83 and partially re-added (app only) via GitHub on 2022-05-24.
- •All Termux APKs (app and plugins) must come from the same source/signature; mixing sources causes installation errors, and switching sources requires uninstalling existing APKs.